DATE : 2017-10-05

Global methyl methacrylate (MMA) producers are looking into reinvestment in the industry, a number of sellers said on the sidelines of the 51st annual European Petrochemical Association (EPCA) meeting.

Margins for MMA sellers are said to be high, considering the number of price increases over the last year.

However, there have also been a series of planned and unplanned turnarounds, with some lengthy stoppages planned for next year.

Two new facilities are close to completion in the Middle East, with a total of 340,000 tonnes/year of fresh MMA capacity.

A 250,000 tonne/year facility is planned in the US for Mitsubishi Rayon, parent company of Lucite International. This is expected after 2022, using the Alpha technology, and will not include any downstream polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) capacity.

Other producers also said they were looking into expansion, reinvestment, or new capacity.

Players estimated growth in the market at 100,000 tonnes/year, with demand either in line with or above GDP growth.

Global MMA supply remains short on the back of a series of planned and unplanned outages.

MMA is used in the manufacture of acrylic sheet, surface coatings, emulsion polymers and adhesives.

The annual EPCA meeting runs from 30 September to 3 October.

 Source Icis News